sick day/currently coveting

Hi, everybody. I'm sickly today and I'm super bummed about it.

Luckily, I was able to enjoy a great, great SXSW weekend before I felt this sick, though. Saw lots of fun faces, ate free food (Japanese hamburgers? yes, please), drank a lot of free alcoholic beverages, walked a lot, but most importantly - we saw a lot of really good bands. My favorite performance by far was Of Monsters and Men, from Iceland. If you haven't heard them, check them out immediately! We were so glad we got to see the show.

Back to my pity party: yes, I'm sick. And I have a doctor's appointment today that I've been dreading for some time, so I'm feeling a little down in the dumps today. So it might not be the best time for a Motivated Monday post. Instead, since it's a pity party, I'm going to link you to a bunch of things I'm currently coveting. That's the opposite of being motivating, right?

Here's a long list of things I want! But I don't want to work for them! I just want them! Whatever, when you're sick you get to do what you want. So here it is, friends.

This pretty & dainty engraved triangle bangle set:

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This pink pastel foldover clutch. Look at the zipper!

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This modular planter. I love the look, and maybe my cat wouldn't eat succulents? He eats all kinds of other plants, so here's to hoping.

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This beautiful barn door as a bathroom door. I mean...really?

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This Wilma Bench! Isn't it perfect?

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These LuluLemon running shorts. Super comfy.

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That's all I've got for now. This is the end of my pity party for myself! The husband is taking me to my doctor's appointment today and has promised to take care of me when we get home afterward.

I hope everyone else is happy & healthy today!

I'll be back on Tuesday or Wednesday with an update on:

-goal #3: go on a girl's weekend trip to a vineyard

&

-goal #13: decorate our "forever home" to reflect both my husband & I perfectly

(see my original 30before30 list here)

attempt at releasing my inner bookworm

Since January 1st of this year I've been working on goal #11 on my 30before30 list - read at least a book a month for one year. So far, so good...it's mid-March and I've finished 3 (and a half) books. For the most part, I read books on my Kindle which means that I don't have the physical reminders of what I've read. I realize that I could keep the titles on my Kindle and compile them at the end of the year, but I hate the look of the messy screen with tons of titles on it, so I delete them after I'm done.

Anyway!

I'm going to use this post and continually update it with the books that I've read each month. I also want to keep a list of books I'd like to read this year, because I always find some that catch my eye and I'm intrigued by but forget the titles a few days later.

So, here are the books I'd like to read this year, and the ones I've read so far.(Click on each title if you're interested in reading a little more about the book) 

1. Not That Kind of Girl: A Memoir - Carlene Bauer

2. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo - Stieg Larsson

3. The Same Kind of Different As Me - Ron Hall

4. The Girl Who Played With Fire - Stieg Larsson
5. Wild - Cheryl Strayed

6. Arcadia - Lauren Groft

7. Unorthodox - Deborah Feldman

8. Salmon Fishing in the Yemen - Paul Torday

9. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest - Stieg Larsson

10.

11.

12.

That's all I've got for now.

Do you have any recommendations for my last 3 books?

Looking over my list, I realized that I've got a lot of non-fiction on there. I'm a sucker for autobiographies and memoirs. But that doesn't mean those are the only suggestions I'll take! I don't have a certain style that I like to read...I just don't like romantic, girly books. But hey, I'm willing to give everything a try. Unless it's a Nicholas Sparks book. I will not give that a try.

(see my original 30before30 list here)

motivated monday: sunday night supper edition

It's SXSW week here in Austin which is my favorite week of the year here! Even though it gets overcrowded and traffic is even worse than normal, there's something about great bands, free alcohol, free food and great street style that just makes most of us forget about the hoards of people that come along with it. And luckily, the weather has decided to go from 40 degrees with downpours to 70 degrees with perfectly sunny skies just in time! In honor of SXSW and this glorious weather that it's brought along with it, I'm doing a sort of spring edition today for my Motivated Monday post. We're about 2 weeks away from being done with the backyard re-do which means:

backyard parties!

As I've mentioned before, I have a goal of starting a Sunday night supper tradition. I'm not one for stuffy dinner parties, so now that the husband got his birthday present (a big duo grill), these Sunday night suppers will be full of good food and strong drinks on hot nights!

So I'll take my inspiration from there.

Make your own flavored lemonades. Of course in the Norris house, this means that these will also have vodka in them. But aren't they pretty?! I'm all about that green one - cucumber mint limeade. Follow the source link for recipes.

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This is what my hair looks like during the summer/springtime. It gets too damn hot in Texas to pretend that I can wear my hair down every day. And I'm super happy that the super tightly pulled back bun is gone, I'll be hosting parties with this look:

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I'm a sucker for bold type. Aren't these decanters the best?? I'd love to have these set out for a bbq. But knowing me, I'd accidentally mix them up when pouring the alcohol in, and people would get a rum sunrise instead.

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Supposedly the "best pasta sauce I'll ever have"! I'm down for it. I'm also down for a simple recipe that can feed lots of people.

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I'm determined to get some big slabs of chalkboard or something I can paint with chalkboard paint for occasions like this:

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Gasp! Don't these caprese tarts look amazing?? They might take some practice to perfect before I host the first dinner party, which means that I get to practice eating them too.

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And lastly, for me:

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PS. I'm getting really close to being able to cross off #3 on my list: go on a girl's trip to a vineyard!

(see my original 30before30 list here)

the hiatus has come to an end.

I'm back!

Back from New Orleans and back from Cleveland, and I am so happy to be able to say that. I had a really great time in New Orleans celebrating our anniversary and eating too much salty, delicious food. And I learned a lot and gained a lot from my work trip to Cleveland, so I'm back feeling refreshed and ready to go. More than anything, I'm extremely ready to get back on track and focused on some goals of mine, now that the out-of-town things are over with.

#8 on my 30before30 list is to participate in some sort of marathon or race. Now, I didn't originally  make this one of my 2012 goals, but luckily it's just one more thing that I'll have the satisfaction of crossing off this year. On April 21 I'll be participating in the Diva Dash here in Austin. It's a 5k which is a great starting point for me since I've never done any sort of race at all. It does have obstacles at every 1/2 mile though - think rope climbing, tire jumping, etc. The last "race" I can say I did was in high school, running track. Pretty sure I fell at some point. Or multiple points. So this will be interesting to say the least. I know it may not sound like it, but I am so excited! This is the perfect motivation for me to get all prepped and ready for my Bahamas birthday trip and an opportunity to shorten my list. Not to mention the ladies that I'm running with will make it a lot of fun. So here's where I'm staring with this goal...3 basic rules I'm following:

1. Healthy Eating. I'm not "dieting"...I think everybody hates that word. I would say that I generally am pretty conscious of what I eat, but I'll be a little bit more conscious for the next few months. I'll focus on eating a protein-rich breakfast every morning, drinking tons of water (although I drink a ton now. I might turn in to a water balloon), & filling my body with things like these vitamin boosters.

2. Healthy Living. This goal of mine could not have popped up at a better time. The husband is currently competing with 2 friends to see who can lose the most weight in a 2 1/2 month time frame. If there's one thing that man has, it's dedication. He leaves for the gym before I even consider waking up in the morning and pulls 2-a-days like nobody's business. So this keeps me very motivated to make sure I'm busting my ass just as much as he is! I don't have a specific regimen I'm following (for now), but I'll keep up a mixture of yoga, cardio and weights to keep it all interesting.

3. Healthy Mindset. Even with good willpower, it's hard to have a healthy lifestyle if you're surrounded by people who live an opposite lifestyle. If you constantly are around people who are happy eating fast food and snack machine treats all day, your healthy  mindset starts to slip. Or at least mine does. In a previous post, I mentioned that I've recently been able to avoid that negative energy that's been haunting me for a few months (I won't say fully avoid, that's pretty impossible in this situation), but this fits right in to that.  I'll be constantly reminding myself of my goals and how good I can look in a bathing suit in a few months!

Do you have any fitness goals you want to accomplish in the next few months? In the next few years?

(see my original 30before30 list here)

brief hiatus

I'll be taking a brief hiatus from posting for the rest of the week, since the husband and I will be in New Orleans until Sunday afternoon! I'll be sure to have a draft of a Motivated Monday post ready to go on Monday morning though. I leave for Cleveland (for work) right after we get back from our anniversary trip, which means posting might be a bit slow.

So for now, in honor of my anniversary and my awesome, super cute husband, I'll leave you with this true tid bit on gentlemen:

And some of the things I'm hoping to see in NOLA:

And of course I'll be working on #12 on my 30before30 list, master taking photos the way I picture them in my brain.

I hope everyone has a great week & weekend!

motivated monday: road trip edition

Happy Monday! I'm really excited to put together this Motivated Monday post because it is my 'Road Trip Edition' post. I had lunch with a friend yesterday and we started discussing my road trip goal (#26 on my 30before30 list). I haven't been on a road trip as an adult. The last one I went on was an amazing 2 week trip with my dad, brother and 2 sisters when I was 13. We went from the tip of Texas all the way to the tip of Mexico; we took our time, ate so much amazing food, saw amazing things and spent time at the beach. Naturally, I have a little soft spot in my heart for road trips. So why haven't I ventured out on a trip like that in 10 years?!

Have you gone on a road trip? Ever?

So this friend that I was lunching with - she would like to do a road trip for her 25th birthday in November, which means that it's perfect timing for some road trip ideas.

1. This is one of the trips was discussed yesterday over lunch: Austin, TX  to Tennessee, with a couple of stops in between on the way there & the way back. The idea is for us to get to see both Graceland & Dollywood in TN and then stop in Baton Rouge on the way back. So naturally, there will be lots of making fun of Dolly Parton (while secretly loving her), BBQ, sweet tea, and fried peanut butter & jelly sandwiches.

2. The second option we discussed is: Austin, TX to Taos, NM. I'm a little nervous because I hear that this drive consists of several dirt roads and unmarked highways, but hey - that's what road trippin' is about, right?

So this trip would be completely different than trip #1. I'm guessing this one would consist more of scarves and boots, amazing Mexican food, picturesque mountains and spiked hot cocoa and apple cider!

You really can't go wrong with either one.

Any suggestions out there?

(original 30before30 list here)



happy fridays call for happy lists

i am in a wonderful, wonderful mood today. and have been consistently for the past week or so, which of course means there needs to be a happy list posted.

and i hope you'll share yours too! 

7 random things that are making me happy right at this very moment:

1. the fact that my one year anniversary is now less than one week away! i really can't believe how quickly this year went & i'm so excited to celebrate.

2. the realization that getting rid of negative energy in my life is much easier than i thought: simply avoid the people who bring it. i know that's a 'duh' statement to most, but it took me too long to do it. too. long.

3. i'm feeling healthier than i have in a year...(i got in my best, healthiest shape before our wedding last year)...it's a great feeling. (i'm having my first cup of coffee for the week this morning and it's only 1/2 cup! and i haven't even missed it [that much]! that's an accomplishment)

4. there's lots of planning going on. sometimes i rebel against too much planning, but lately i've been loving it.

5. i get to see my niece, nephew and brother & sister-in-law in less than a week! i'm one of those really lucky people who has an amazing in-law family and i happen to have THE cutest niece and nephew in existence. it's true. i'll show you pictures when i come back from our anniversary trip!

6. this super hilarious blog. i'm serious, check it out. it's called 'Maddie on Things' and it will make you want this dog: http://maddieonthings.com/

7. being exactly 2 months away from seeing the black keys and one month away from seeing the naked & famous in concert!

care to share? what's making you happy right this very minute?